Inform Your Internal Audience First
Public relations can be effective in making or breaking a business. When a company embarks on a new concept or new way of doing business, they may not consider how their internal audiences will react.
If you share news about your company with the world before you have alerted your internal audiences, you may end up with a mess on your hands. It is important to identify your key stakeholders and make sure that they learn of your news directly and in advance. This might include board members, donors, sponsors, industry associates, employees, brand partners or civic leaders, depending on what business you are involved in.
Informing your internal audience means developing messages tailored to each group and conveying those messages in the way these groups like to communicate. It may mean including them as part of the branding process/thinking, or meeting with key industry leaders to get “buy-in” first.
It is also a good idea to include your public relations firm at the outset and planning of this new brand or concept. Not only can they help with marketing and PR strategy, they can serve as sounding boards and come up with the “worst-case” scenarios in order to anticipate a potential crisis.
In the article, “The changing agency landscape: How to adapt and stay relevant,” in the July issue of Public Relations Tactics, Indra Gardiner, a PR colleague, shared five tips to keep in mind when introducing a brand. I have summarized them below:
1. Treat Yourself Like a Brand Partner
When you are launching your company it is easy to cut corners, but take the time to hold planning and strategy meetings with the appropriate people, develop a timeline and stick to it.
2. You Only Have One Chance for a First Impression
How many times did you hear that from your mom? Well, it is true in business as well. Make sure you have addressed every detail and that you are really ready. Has anyone on the team changed their address or Twitter bio or LinkedIn. Make sure before you go out with this new concept and brand, that the different parties within your organization know the message. Also make sure those outside your organization understand what you are doing and why you are doing it.
3. Timing is Everything
Ask all the pertinent questions and double check the answers. Make sure that everyone in the company has clear expectations of the deliverables and timing.
4. Utilize Everyone
Make use of all the people in your group. The most thorough planning will inevitably lead to last minute scrambling, tweaks and changes. Be prepared to have everyone on high alert but maintain a sense of humor. The camaraderie that comes with this type of experience is invaluable.
5. The Message
Make sure everyone, including you, has the right message and understands what that message is. What you don’t need is one person saying one thing and another person saying something else. Everyone needs to be reading from the same book and on the same page.
What other tips do you have in introducing a brand and informing internal audiences? What are some good ways to get clients to discuss possible landmines, major changes in policy decisions or difficult situations?